Non-pu postcard - “Dainty Novels” series - E S Willard
Edward Smith Willard (1853-1915) was an English actor. He was born in Brighton on 9 January 1853 and made his debut on the stage at Weymouth in The Lady of Lyons in 1869. He moved to London in 1875, where he first played Antonio in The Merchant of Venice. One of his greatest successes was his production of The Middleman by Henry Arthur Jones, at the Shaftesbury in 1889, he himself creating the part of Cyrus Blenkarn.
He travelled to the United States in 1890, and made his first appearance at Palmer's Theatre (later, Wallack's Theatre) in New York, 10 November 1890, when he again acted in The Middleman. He sailed to England, then returned again to the United States in 1896, remaining till 1903 having made 13 American tours.
In 1906, he retired from the stage, but returned on special occasions, as in 1911 for the gala performance at His Majesty's Theatre, London, to play the part of Brutus in the forum scene from Julius Caesar. Willard died in London on 9 November 1915.